The prior, but not necessarily relevant, art is exemplified by the following U.S. patents.
Majors U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,839 entitled “CRANE FOR HANDLING FIREPLACE OR WOOD STOVE LOGS”, discloses a wheeled platform providing a storage space for logs below an elevated track supported on standards rising from the platform. A trolley device movable along the tracks supports an adjustable log gripping and release device which is utilized to place logs in a fireplace or the fire box of a stove or furnace. The user of the crane need not place the logs by hand, thus avoiding the possibility of being burned.
Shields U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,792 entitled “CRANE”, discloses a remotely controlled rotatable crane for loading logs on a live deck. The crane includes a carriage having a horizontal bed rotatable on a circular track about a vertical axis, the bed carrying a truss assembly extending upwardly and radially outwardly from the bed. The distal end of the truss assembly carries a vertically movable and rotatable grapple. A winch and cable raises and lowers the grapple. A counterweight is disposed on the carriage to counter balance the truss assembly. Electro-hydraulic controls operate the winch for raising and lowering the grapple, controls the rotation of the grapple about a vertical axis and its opening and closing and controls the movement of the carriage about its vertical axis. Hydraulic motors also drive wheels on the track for rotating the carriage about a vertical axis.
Majors U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,357 entitled “FIREPLACE LOG GRAPPLE”, discloses a wheeled platform which provides a storage space for logs below an elevated track supported on standards rising from the platform. A trolley device moveable along the track supports and adjustable log gripping and release device which is utilized to place logs in a fireplace or in the fire box of a stove or furnace. The user of the crane need not place the logs by hand, thus avoiding the possibility of being burned.
It is a desideratum of the present invention to avoid the shortcomings and animadversions of the prior art techniques, and to provide a novel and unique loading mechanism for assisting a person with the lifting of heavy or awkward loads, such as logs.